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How Long Does it Take to See Results With Exercise?

Instant messaging. One hour processing. High-speed internet. Two–day, or two –hour, delivery of just about anything. In today’s world, we want what we want, and we want it NOW. And unfortunately, our desire for instant gratification doesn’t line up in the world of getting fit and healthy. Sure, there are diets and eating plans out there that promise, and often deliver, super-fast results, but they’re more apt to fail in the long run, as soon as your menu expands beyond cabbage soup, chicken breast, and spinach.

So if getting fit and healthy isn’t going to happen instantly, how long does it take?

If your goal is weight loss, it all depends on the age-old, maddeningly simple equation: if you consume fewer calories than your body needs, your body will start to burn fat. In short, eat less and move more. To be precise, for every 3,500 calories your body burns, you’ll lose about a pound. That means if you run at a calorie deficit of 600 calories per day, between eating less and exercising more, then you’re looking a loss of about 1-2 pounds per week. And, unlike with the Watermelon Ultri-Cleanse, losing weight in this manner is much more likely to be long-term.

If your goal is muscle gain, it’s a slightly different story. Even though you may not see a difference, your muscles can begin to change after a single weightlifting session. When muscles undergo trauma, such as lifting weights, the muscle bands join together, increasing your muscle fiber. But real change can happen with dedicated weight training 2-3 times per week, for 20-30 minutes each session, in approximately 1-2 months. The way your body will show muscle gain will depend on your body size, your body composition, and your hormone makeup. And whether your efforts will show themselves through developed and defined muscle growth, or through you feeling noticeably stronger and able to lift and do more than you used to, change will happen. The exact way you lift matters, and your Fitness Together trainer can help you make sure you’re lifting enough weight, for enough reps, and often enough to get you the results you crave.

Luckily, as with many healthy habits, weight loss and muscle gain can incorporate each other nicely. For example, the more muscle you gain throughout your body, the higher your metabolism will get, causing an increase in your fat-burning rate. And if you’ve been working at losing weight and have reached a plateau, your trainer will likely ramp up your weightlifting in both frequency and pounds.

How long it takes before you see results from exercise and weightlifting ultimately depends on you. How diligent you are with your eating plan, how often you choose to exercise, and how often you see your FT trainer for guidance on exercise, lifting, and diet, are all key elements to how quickly you see the results you want.